Creating a Corporate Newsletter
Sep 21st, 2007 by jared
I believe all organizations, no matter what they sell, need to have a corporate email newsletter. Ideally, it should be sent once a month, but semi-monthly could work as well. Hype for a small business is a very important thing. There is this unforeseen momentum that builds as you start to see small successes. The hype is built by word of mouth, and this word of mouth stems from things like your newsletter. These little comments here and there really drive this momentum and no better way to get people talking than to send them a newsletter. In order to send it, you need email addresses.
Not just any email addresses, but opt-in addresses. Don’t just add people; ask their permission. This can be done a few ways. The first is by collecting data on your website with forms. Programs like Stun! (shameless self promotion here) allow you to create a form that matches the look and feel of your site to capture whatever info you need so you don’t have to worry about actually developing a database and web form. It really streamlines the process and makes things very easy. The second way to build your database is to get together a list of email addresses of family, friends, and colleagues. Again, using a program like Stun! allows you to deliver what is known as a "confirmation campaign," asking everyone if he or she would like to receive your newsletter. All they need to do is click the confirmation link and they are automatically added to your database. It is very important that you set the frequency expectations so they know how many messages per month you will send.
Below are some suggestions on what this newsletter could include. I typically like to do a two-column layout. I will break out the layout below by section. I have also noted the section that I think should be static and which sections should change with each publication:
- Header (static):
- Your header should include your company logo and be really striking since this what people will see first. I suggest adding the date in the header as well as the word "issue" so it seems like a formal publication. The header should always link back to the home page of your site.
- I suggest you include links directly below your header that link back to the main pages of your site (like home page, products, services, resources, and contact us).
- Last issues (dynamic): I suggest you host your previous company newsletter issues on your website and include links back to these pages.
- Resources section (static) with links back to:
- Company blog
- Company press/news
- Case studies
- White papers
- Articles
- Real company name
- Address, city, state and zip
- Toll-free number
- Sales email address
- Introduction (static): I like to include an introduction paragraph as to what my company is about and what the corporate newsletter covers.
- Articles (dynamic): A lot of smaller companies run into a resources issue trying to come up with fresh subject matter for the corporate newsletter. You don’t always have to write a new article. Why not re-purpose your other content, such as blog posts, or perhaps comment on articles that you found recently that are useful to your client base? The main body of your email is where you should place articles. I suggest at least three articles per newsletter. Here are some ideas:
- Customer spotlight
- Partner spotlight
- New product or service announcements
- Market statistics or reports
- Copyrite info
- Privacy statement
- Email abuse policy
- Links to:
- Unsubscribe
- Edit profile
- Forward to a friend
- Confirm your subscription
After it is all said and done, you will want to promote your newsletter so people will sign up to receive it. My Internet Marketing Manager, Shavkat, has a great series he is doing on this exact subject. You can visit that by going here .
I would love to see some examples of your corporate newsletter, so please feel free to share the sign-up link or send me a link to past publications if you have them online.
[...] You Need A Corporate Newsletter I believe all organizations, no matter what they sell, need to have a corporate email newsletter. Ideally, it should be sent once a month, but semi-monthly could work as well. Hype for a small business is a very important thing. … [...]
When the economy turns, corporate marketing budgets are the first to get axed. That’s to a company’s peril, I believe–you should do everything possible to grab new customers and maintain relations with existing ones, especially in troubled times. At least penny-pinchers can DIY with your tips!
I wish every company could read this. Great info!
Heather, thanks for the kind words.
[...] Creating a Corporate Newsletter [...]
I run into many companies that don’t understand the importance of keeping in touch with their customers. People want information and they want it delivered into their email boxes- what better reason to give it to them? It’s important to send updates, general news, promotions, etc. so you remain in the thoughts and minds of consumers.
Thanks for letting your readers know about my “Newsletter Marketing” section on our blog. Hope they would find it useful!
Muito legal seu blog…
parabens…
abraço
I hug to Eduardo, I hug to.
I am really excited about the growth of small business persons…I have always had a strong desire for a business of my own…but I went into military and had to put it on hold…but my family have always been entrepreneurs but at the time I did know it…I did a book report in high school and that is when I knew my family had been entrepreneurs for years..I am now learning about “blogs” and I have also discover another value tool for a non writer like myself call “Glyphius” check it out…
yourinfo, you should also check out posterous.com, its a killer and easy way to microblog